Spring cushion unit



a March 10, 1953 M. J. RYMLAND 2,630,586

SPRING CUSHION UNIT Filed June 5, 1949 I N VE N TOR. Mae/24y J Emu mm mw mym n/ww ATTOR N EYS Patented Mar. 10, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT .()FFICE SPRING CUSHION UNIT Murray J. Rymlaml, Baltimore, Md.

Application June 3, 1949, Serial No. 96,917

Claims. (01. 5-270) 1 v This invention relates in general to comfort springs and has particular reference to a means for connecting parallel rows of springs and to provide a spring cushion wherein weight depressions may be evenly distributed throughout the comfort spring as a whole.

A number of means have been devised for connecting series of springs to form united comfort spring cushions. None, however, have been devised to successfully obviate the apparent deficiencies inherent in conventional spring cushions, namely squeaking and wear incident to normal use and lack of means for proportional distribution of weight throughout the cushion. With a view to overcoming wear through rubbing of adjacent springs and to provide means for rigidly connecting springs and to avoid rubbing connections, the present invention has been conceived, with the following objects.

It is an object of this invention to provide means for securing parallel rows of springs and adjacent springs each to each forming a spring cushion which is simple of construction, durable and inexpensive to manufacture.

A further object of this invention is to secure parallel rows of springs to form a spring cushion whereby lateral displacement of adjacent spring coils is prevented.

A further object of this invention is to provide a spring cushion consisting of a series of parallel rows of coils wherein lateral displacement of the parallel rows is prohibited and wherein longitudinal displacement of the ad acent and overlapping spring coils is likewise prohibited.

Still another object of this invention is to provide means for connecting spring coils so that weight depressions on one series of adjacent springs will be proportionally distributed throughout connected series of adjacent springs.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide means for adjoining adjacent springs in parallel rows wherein joining means provides for relative distribution of spring depressing weight throughout the entire spring structure, the joining means fixedly securing adjacent springs to prevent relative movement therebetween.

In general the invention comprises a series of springs, helical extensions of which overlap and are secured against lateral displacement by means of a tie wire extending transversely of the rows of springs. These tie wires have spaced depressions inwardly of the axis of the tie wire itself and forming inserts therebetween. The. depressions are designed to secure overlapping portions of the helical extensions into rigid engage- 'ment with .each. other, inserts bisecting chords formed by the overlapping arcuate portions. of the helixes to secure the adjacent springs in fixed relation to each other and to the tie wire. A clip of substantial width is inserted beneath the insert of the tie wire and around the center portions of the overlapping arcuate portions of the adjacent springs so that the springs are rigidly united one to the other and forced into relatively rigid engagement with the tie wire. Weight causing depression of any portion of the springs will be distributed throughout the entire spring structure, this being accomplished entirely through exercise of the natural resilience of the wires forming the coils and coil connections, in the absence of relative movement between the coils and the clip. Annoying spring squeaking is thus avoided, and a smoothly distributed weight absorptive cushion is provided.

For purposes of clarity of description, reference is made to the following drawings and description wherein numerals set forth in the description have direct relation to numerals in the drawings and wherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the invention sho ing the connecting elements;

Figure 2 is a view in side elevation of a helical coil illustrating overlapping relation of adjacent springs and the connecting elements;

Figure 3 is a side elevational view of a fragment of a tie wire;

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic view in side elevation of a row of springs illustrating the effect of wei ht depression on one of the coils;

Figure 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the overlapping, arcuate portions of a pair of helixes and the tie wire, showing the clip or clam in elevation; and

Figure 6 is a diagrammatic plan of an arcuate portion of a coil showing points of clamp contact.

Figure l of the drawings points out that a series of coils III are joined with arcuate portions of their upper helixes in overlapping engagement to form a row ll. Overlapping engagement of helical extremities 12 occurs as at points of contact 13. This overlapping of arcuate portionsof helical extremities I2 forms a chord as at M,

between points I3 of the arcuate overlap. Overlapped in such series, coils l0 provide rows Ii. Rows H are displaced parallel to each other so th at the coils are in parallelseries.

.For purposes of weight distribution, a tie wire- IB is positioned transversely of the rows of springs. This tie wire has spaced inner d.epressions 20 forming inserts 2| between the inner depressions. When positioned in the spring bed, the tie wire partially embraces overlapping portions l3- of the adjacent springs. These overlapping portions I3 securely fit into and are embraced by twin inner depressions 20 and by means of this adaptable structure, lateral displacement of the springs in any direction is thereby prohibited. Surrounded by depressions 20 and above the axis of tie wire [9, inserts 2| penetrate the space between the arcuate portions I2 and coincide with the vertical planes of chords [4 thus providing inner walls for aiding prohibiting lateral displacement of the,

springs within the comfort element as a whole.

Assemblage of the tie wire l9 to adjacent overlapping springs l and the springs to eachother,

is effected by attaching clipping element I6. For

convenience clip I6 is depressed centerwise ofinsert 2| and placed under the insert. One extension li' of the clip is thereafter securedly wrapped about helical portions l2 of springs I0 as at l of Figure 6. The counterpart l8 of the clip may be wrapped about opposite and adjacent helical portions l2 of adjacent springs l0 and wound beneath the opposed helical sections as shown in Figure 5. Peculiar to the structure is this means of securing clip l6 to the adjacent helical portions of springs l0. As shown in Figures 1 and 6, the clips [6 are of considerable width. This feature of the clips serves to enable a grasping of the arcuate portions of helixes in such a manner that the arc may be fixedly engaged at points of contact X, as shown in Figure 6. Thus the helical portions 12 remain fixedly engaged by the clips. Hence when downward pressure is applied to one spring, it is transmitted and distributed to others proportionally as if the springs were bonded each to each.

In operation, as shown in Figure 4, depression on any portion of the supporting coil l0 occurring from weight or downward force 22 will be proportionally equally distributed throughout the comfort spring element. This equal distribution would not be possible unless hinge action between the respective adjacent springs were overcome.

Thus, any weight force applied to one of the springs is transmitted distortionally to adjacent springs through rigid assemblage overlap and clip elements and to springs in adjoining parallel rows through the application of the forces to the tie wire [9. As pointed out above, this relation efe fected by the peculiar grasping effect of the clips l6 and the depressions of the wire I 9 prevents undesirable movement of the adjacent elements each to each. This is important, since any movement between helixes each to each and rows of coils laterally serves only to cause wear and noise.

By way of illustration there is shown in Figure 4 a downward force indicated by arrow 22 on the spring 10. From the drawing it is shown that opposed forces 23 applied to adjacent springs l0 cause natural distortion in the external helixes of adjacent coils. The illustration points out, however, that no undesirable hinge action results from unequal forces applied to single springs, the forces being laterally absorbed through wire dist-ortion, and the natural resilience of the materials used in spring construction accounts for even cushioning efiect. Thus where unequal distortional forces are applied to a spring or series of springs, the depression of adjacent springs will become gradual portionally to the force applied to originaladjacent springs, andthe effect will be to create a smoother and more gradual supporting spring surface. Likewise, no matter how much pressure may be applied to any one spring or series of springs throughout the composite element, the load will be evenly distributed, throughout the entire spring element because of the connecting and assemblage efiect.

While the comfort springs comprising this invention have been described in detail in relation to specific forms of the invention, it is to be understood that the concept of this invention is not limited to those specific forms, but is limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A spring cushion comprising a plurality of parallel rows of substantially vertical, helical coils, an arcuate portion of the upper helix of each coil being disposed in overlapping relation to an arcuate portion of the upper helix of the adjacent co-il in the same row, a plurality of tie wires extending transversely of the rows along the lines of overlap between the coils, each wire having an axis disposed on a plane above the plane of contact between the overlapping arcuate portions and having a plurality of pairs of depressions, each pair being positioned to embrace the two points of overlap of a pair of arcuate portions and having therebetween an upwardly projecting portion constituting an insert disposed on the common chordal plane between the arcuate overlapping portions, and a sheet metal clip of substantial width rigidly embracing the overlapping arcuate portions of each adjacent pair of helixes and underlying the adjacent upwardly rojecting insert and bonding the helixes and the tie wires together as a unitary structure against relative sliding or pivotal displacement.

2. In a spring cushion formed of helical coils positioned with adjacent arcuate portions of their upper helixes in overlapping relationship, means for securing the coils in rigid connection, comprising a tie wire having plurality of pairs of spaced depressions with upwardly projecting inserts therebetween, the depressions of each pair being disposed in embracing relation to the overlapping points of a pair of adjacent arcuate sections and the intermediate insert being projected upwardly into the space between said arcuate portions, the insert being in the same horizontal plane as the remainder of the wire between the several pairs of depressions, and a sheet metal clamp member of substantial width engaging the arcuate portions on opposite sides of said insert with sufficient pressure to prevent slippage and turning of the coils, said clamp member being disposed in firm engagement beneath the adjacent insert and forcing the bottom of said depressed portions tightly into engagement with the overlapped helixes to form a rigid spring coil assembly.

3. A cushion in accordance with claim 1 characterized in that said plane on which the axis of each tie wire is disposed is also above the center lines of the upper overlapping arcuate portion of each pair of helixes.

l. A spring cushion in accordance with claim 1 characterized in that the inner surfaces of the outer ends of the depressions engage the outer surfaces of the helixes adjacent the points of verlap and that the inner surfaces of the inner portions of the depressions engage the inner surfaces of the helixes adjacent the points of overlap, to assist in preventing relative movement between the overlapping portions.

5. A spring assembly for cushions or the like, said assembly comprising a plurality of parallel rows of similar helical coil springs having their axes arranged in parallelism, and each having an arcuate portion of an end convolution thereof so overlapping a corresponding portion of an adjacent spring in the same row as to provide a space between such overlapping portions, a plurality of parallel tie wires xtending transversely of the rows and each tie wire having similar series of humps which provide substantially W-shaped formations spaced along the length of such wire, and a series of similar clips each extending through the central hump of one of said formations and connecting the overlapping portions of the convolutions of adjacent springs, the remaining humps of each series providing seats receiving portions of at least one of said adjacent overlapping convolutions of said springs, said clips and said formations forming means preventing displacement of the springs with respect to each other.

MURRAY J. RYMLAND.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 857,324 Brouyette June 18, 1907 2,050,105 Lewis Aug. 4, 1936 2,208,035 Krajewski July 16, 1940 15 2,320,020 Wallis May 25, 1943 2,515,177 Bank July 18, 1950 

